Bentwater

Published
11:00 pm CDT, Saturday, June 27, 2015

Okay, Bentwater. If you have an iPhone (or an Android), I’m about to make your life easier. Did you know there are these amazing new-fangled things called apps? For your phone? For free? Check these out.

For starters, with all the construction taking place on FM 1097, you might appreciate knowing about the INRIX Mobile Traffic App which provides you with accurate, real time traffic information. This app somehow identifies things like road construction, accidents, special events, and police activity and gives you a real time view of the traffic on each road in your area and, most important, the one you’re own. Green means clear, yellow means slow and red means turn around. It’ll be awhile. You can thank me later.

Next is the Sky View app and, now that the kids are home for the summer and/or the grandkids are coming to visit, you’re about to become the smartest grandparent ever. Sky View lets you view the sky through your phone’s camera view. It’ll literally show you the real time location of planets, constellations and satellites, and they’re magnified so you can easily find them day or night. Tapping on objects lets you read numerous facts so you no longer have to bluff about which is the big dipper and which is Orion, no matter which side of the earth they’re on. You’ll become a wizard, amazing the grandkids.

Then there’s Shazam. Just open the Shazam app when any music is playing and, within seconds, it’ll tell you the name of the song, the artist and even the lyrics. Not only will you be able to sing along, you’ll be able to sing the actual lyrics of the song instead of those pretend lyrics you’ve been faking for decades. Seriously. There’s “a bad moon on the rise.” There’s not “a bathroom on the right.” Better still, wouldn’t you love to check out the lyrics that your kids are soaking up? One suggestion. Avoid a scene. Don’t do that when the kids aren’t around.

Finally, the Magnifying Glass with Light app (my personal favorite) lets you read the menu when you left your “cheaters” in the car (almost always). Just point your iPhone’s camera at the text, move the on-screen slider to illuminate and zoom. Magic. Never another to-go box because you had no idea what you ordered. You’re welcome.